Living Darkness CR 3
The Tale of Fellos the Foolhardy "From shadow it came, born of a gloom greater than any light could cast. It stalked the streets at night, taking those who would not be missed or those who dared to step out from the light, leaving nothing behind but discarded weapons and small articles of clothing. The entire city feared the creature, though none could say what it was for certain. Some claimed a serial killer had been loosed from the insane asylum, still others believed it was a great cat who had wandered in from the jungle and was hungry for fresh meat. Fellos Artillo believed none of it, casting aside such stories as mere cautionary child's stories and wild rumor mongering. Let the fools believe what they will, but no mere legend was going to keep him from his nightly visit to his favorite pub for a quick night cap. Ambling home at a slow step Fellos stopped and turned to look down a foreboding alley, the sounds from within causing his heart to skip a beat. A trash bin overturned, glass breaking and a loud hissing sound, making the young man jump a bit at the suddenness of it all. Darting from the shadows came a bright orange cat, tearing a path across the road and into the opposing alley. Fellos laughed at his own ridiculous reaction, patting his chest with a hand as his heart returned to its normal beat as did his feet to the cobblestone, "Fellos old boy," he remarked to himself, "you're starting to let those old wives and drunken dock workers stories get to you." And then there was only night. Spinning around in a vain attempt to regain his bearings Fellos held his hands out in front of his body, hoping to feel something, a wall or a railing, anything with which to orientate himself. A swift blow to the stomach sent him doubling over, clutching at the ground with his thin fingers, desperate to pull himself away from whatever had descended upon him. Again and again blows were rained down upon his body, his attacker having no difficulty finding his least protected areas through the tenebrous murk. Fellos tried to scream, but the wind had been knocked completely from his lungs and refused to produce any sound, just as a cool sensation began to envelope him from his legs upwards. Fellos had learned an important lesson that night, that fear and suspicion can oft be all that keeps one safe from the things hiding in the shadows. Unfortunately, he learned his lesson far too late.. The creature known as the living darkness is a deadly opponent for those unprepared to face such a foe. Since it relies entirely on its natural blindsight to navigate a living darkness can keep itself in perpetual obscurity, while leaving its sight based enemies quite literally in the dark. Even those who come prepared with power light spells often find their resources exhausted quickly as the living darkness can resume its shroud of shadows as many times as necessary. There are not a great number of living darkness spells that wander the country side, preferring cities, towns and woodlands where it can hide itself during the day and stalk its victims when they are least likely to be able to escape its dark touch. Living darkness spells are also drawn to Undercity locals, since most creatures there rely on their darkvision to see many are taken by surprise when the darkness thickens and they discover what true twilight is. |DR=10/magic |immune=poison, sleep, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, critical hits, flanking |resist= |SR=13 |fort=+4* |ref=+1* |will=+1* |weakness= |tag2=*includes +2 resistance bonus |spd=20' (4 spaces) |melee=Slam +3 (1d4+1) plus darkness |BAB= |grp=+3 |space=5 |reach=5 ft. |atkopt= |gear= |sa=Spell Effect, Engulf DC 13 |str=12 |dex=9 |con=12 |int= |wis=9 |cha=12 |sq=Ooze traits (Mindless, blind) |feats=– |skills=– |tag4= |environment=Dungeons, battlefields |organization=Solitary |treasure=None |advancement= |tag5= |variants='Spell Effect (Su)' A creature hit by a living darkness or engulfed by it is affected by the darkness spell, causing them to radiate shadowy illumination out to a 20-foot radius. All creatures in the area gain concealment (20% miss chance). Even creatures that can normally see in such conditions (such as with darkvision or low-light vision) have the miss chance in an area shrouded in magical darkness. Normal lights (torches, candles, lanterns, and so forth) are incapable of brightening the area, as are light spells of lower level. Higher level light spells are not affected by darkness. Darkness counters or dispels any light spell of equal or lower spell level. The living darkness may also, at will, surround itself with the same shadowy illumination which moves with the living darkness until it chooses to dispel the effect or until it uses this ability on another creature. Engulf (Ex) Ooze may move into opponent's space; Opponent gets attack of opportunity or a reflex save of DC 13. If save is made, opponent is pushed back or aside, otherwise opponent is considered grappled and is effected by darkness every round. }} Notes Originally posted by Jorda_The_Knight on the D&D forums, repoduced here with permission.